Ireland was born in remote McGill, Nevada, miles ( km) east of Reno, Nevada. As the coach of the 1966 Wolfpack baseball team, he managed Fred Dallimore, who later coached the UNLV baseball team, and is the father of former San Francisco Giants player Brian Dallimore. In 1967 Chub Drakulich hired Ireland to start the UNLV football program. During their inaugural 1968 season, the Rebels were undefeated until the last game of the season. The rebels lost their first match against in-state rivals UNR. Ireland, wanting an award to symbolize the rivalry, obtained a replica of the Howitzer John C. Fremont had brought with him in his expedition to Nevada. Nineteen seventy marked the first Battle for the Cannon, with UNLV avenging their loss and evening the series. After a disappointing 1–10 record